VANCOUVER – The only thing uglier than the weather for the UBC Thunderbirds Friday night in Winnipeg was the final score as the host Manitoba Bisons held on for a 21-16 win, handing the blue and gold a second straight loss to fall to 1-2 on the Canada West season.
With only brief periods of reprieve from intense rain at IG Field, gaining yardage, especially through the air, was a challenge for both teams as the T-Birds held an 8-7 advantage at halftime.
Two touchdowns for the Bisons in the second half saw the hosts stake out a 21-11 lead. Despite some gutsy plays by
Garrett Rooker and the UBC offence to extend fourth quarter drives, the T-Birds never did manage to get into the end zone, the only points scored by kicker
Owen Brown who notched four field goals, along with a pair of safetys.
The slippery conditions played a factor seconds after kickoff as
Skyler Griffith forced a fumble and recovered the ball at the Manitoba 28. While not scoring a major on the drive, the T-Birds did take advantage of the turnover as
Owen Brown chipped in an 11-yard field goal to open scoring.
The rain soaked field meant both teams focussed on a run heavy package in the opening half. While the T-Birds managed to get some solid runs at times from
Dane Kapler, who finished the game with a remarkable 175 yards before leaving in the fourth quarter with a lower body injury, progress down the field was hard to come by as the game remained 3-0 through 15 minutes.
Late in the half, forced out of the pocket, Catellier heaved up the ball to Zachary Wynne in the end zone, a 30 yard score as the Bisons took their first lead of the game, 7-5 with the successful convert.
With time running out in the half, Rooker threw a 14-yard, second down toss to
Lliam Wishart to get the T-Birds into the red zone with 91 seconds on the clock. Another Kapler run got it to first and goal for UBC. Despite some Bisons penalties extending the drive, the Bisons' front line prevented Kapler from getting into the end zone as the 'Birds settled for another short Brown field goal to get the lead back, 8-7 heading into the break.
On Manitoba's first drive of the second half, the Bisons, aided by some UBC penalties, quickly worked their way deep into T-Birds territory. Ishe Matanga was left all alone just outside the end zone and Catellier found him for the five yard touchdown pass, giving the hosts a 14-8 advantage.
Six minutes into the fourth quarter, the Bisons found themselves down to the UBC one and long-time head coach Brian Dobie put backup quarterback Jackson Tachinski in. The pivot called his own number, battling his way past UBC's front line for the major score and a ten point Manitoba lead.
Undeterred, UBC offensive coordinator
Stevenson Bone put his trust in Rooker's arm as the 'Birds went to the air, but yet again the offence couldn't find pay dirt with Brown kicking a 27-yard field goal, his fourth of the game, getting UBC back within a possession of the Bisons but with time the biggest enemy.
UBC's defence did their job late, getting the T-Birds the ball back twice beyond the three minute warning. Despite some gutsy throws from Rooker and equally impressive athletic catches from his receivers, the 'Birds simply ran out of time as the Bisons picked up their first win of the season.
Rooker finished the game 15-of-32 for 201 yards. Catellier threw for just 129 yards but was efficient when he did go to the air, completing 14 of 20 pass attempts for two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Wishart led all receivers with 84 yards, one more than Williams as UBC amassed 429 total yards of offence to Manitoba's 155, but just couldn't make it count when it mattered most.
After two straight road games, the T-Birds will finally return to Thunderbird Stadium next Friday, September 23 to host the Regina Rams for Homecoming 2022. Tickets are available now for UBC's biggest campus event of the season and what's going to be a critically important game with the half mark of the Canada West season rapidly approaching.
